SNOW HILL—He attempted just one shot from the field and didn’t even come off the bench until regulation expired and two minutes were gone in overtime.

A little rust was to be expected, but not for Greene Central’s Justin Lee.

The 5-foot-9 junior drilled a 3-pointer from the right corner with 26.4 seconds left in the extra session, giving the Rams the lead for good in a 60-57 victory over North Pitt in a non-conference barnburner at Rouse Family Foundation Court Friday.

Fittingly, it was Lee’s shooting prowess that prompted GC coach Jim Cole to send him into the game.

“He’s one of the best shooters, not just on our team, but in the whole area,” Cole said. “I put him in because we were in desperate need of somebody who could make a shot and hit free throws.”

Ironically, Lee missed his two chances from the charity stripe, but they came after his long trey had given the Rams (7-5) a 58-57 advantage.

The Panthers (8-4) turned the ball over at the 13.3 mark of overtime before Lee was fouled on the ensuing inbounds pass.

His misses gave NP another chance, but Makye Overton’s three from the deep corner hit the side of the backboard and landed out of bounds with 3.1 seconds left.

GC’s Tre Wade then canned a pair of free throws to seal the win with just 1.7 ticks remaining.

Wade finished with 13 points, including four in overtime. Like Lee, he didn’t start either.

“We’re blessed with a lot of depth and that really showed tonight,” Cole said. “Guys don’t always get to play the minutes they want, but I have confidence in everyone on our roster, no matter the situation.”

The Rams should have won the game in regulation.

GC led 52-46 with 41.5 seconds left and couldn’t close the deal.

Four missed free throws, a bucket by NP’s Davion Council and two free throws from Brandon Wilson brought the Panthers to within 52-50 with 12.7 seconds to go.

Page 2 of 3 - After the Rams’ Daryn Parker connected on one of two free throws to make it a three-point game, NP’s Overton drilled an NBA-range 3 from the top of the key as time expired to force overtime.

“We needed to do a better job of putting them away, but the important thing is that we showed some resiliency and got the win,” Cole said. “Hopefully this is something we can build on as we head into conference play.”

The Rams have one more non-conference game (Monday at home against Clayton Cleveland) before opening Eastern Carolina 2A Conference play next Friday at Ayden-Grifton.

GC’s Javan Rozelle led all scorers with 16 points, including 10 in the first quarter as the Rams built an early double-digit advantage.

North Pitt’s first lead came at 44-43 with 4:58 left in the fourth quarter.

Girls Game:

When Greene Central point guard Tahliyah Joyner fouled out with 5:25 remaining in the game, the Rams were clinging to a 43-42 lead.

By the time GC scored again on a layup by Bria Payton at the 2:25 mark, the Rams were behind 54-45.

The Panthers took advantage of Joyner’s absence to reel off 12 unanswered points, while finishing the game on an 18-4 run.

The Rams (1-11) committed six turnovers in the final five minutes.

Payton led the Rams with 14 points and Jessica Barrett added 11.

For North Pitt (8-4), Ty’Quishia Gainer and Dorian Sharp proved to be an unstoppable duo, scoring 21 and 18 points, respectively.